Automatic turning-machine



Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

F. H. BANCROFT. AUTOMATIC TURMNG MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- 21??,1'918- F. HQ BANcRoFT.

AUI'DNIATIC TURNING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 00121, I9l8.

Patented De. 13, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- narra stains p'rnN'r Erice.

FRANK H. :eANcnorn or GARDNER, MassAoHUsnTTsassreNon To r. DERBY a COMPANY, or GARDNER, MASSACHUSETTS, A conronarrioN or Massaonu c snTTs.

AUToMaTTc TURNING-MACHINE.'

Patented Dee. is, 192i,

i Application filed October 21, 1918. Serial No. 259,103.

To all whom z't mayfconccm: Y

Be it known that 1, FRANK H. BANCROFT, a citizen of the United States of America, and residentjof Gardner, in the county of lorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Turning Machines, of which the following is a specification. Y

This invention relates to machines having receivers or magazines through which vstock is supplied and more particularly to auto? matic wood-turning machines of the ty e disclosed in my former application Sr. o. 119,145, filed September 8,1916, for improvements in lautomatic turning machines.` The machine described in my former ap Y plication comprises a rotatable carriercar' rying a circular row of opposed head and tail spindles, the carrier being mounted to rotate about an axis concentric lwith the cir# cular row of spindles, means to rotate the carrier about its axis and to rotate the head spindles about their respective axes, a magf azine to which rectangular blocks of wood or other stock is.r supplied, means to bore the ends of the stock to receive the spindles while the Vstock is in the magazine, mechanism to transfer the stock from the magazine to the pairs of spindles at onev position in their path of krevolution about the aXis of the carrier, a plurality of lcutters adjacent 'the' said path of revolution adapted successively to act upon the stock as the c arrier brings the stock into the regions thereof, and means` yto deliver the turned articles fromthe ma chine. j. i l p The object of the lpresent invention is to provide 'means'forholding the stock in po` sition in themagazine while the boringtools operate on the opposite ends of the stock to prepareV the stock Vtof'be picked 'up by the spindles and to prevent the stockfrom turning vor otherwise ,moving while Vbeing bored.l A secondary object is vto position the stock in the v magazine just prior toits being trans-` ferred to the spindles bythe feedingmeans so that the stoel; will occupy Va definite positionV with respect to fthe feeding means when pickedv up thereby. l f In the accompanying drawin, s,-y

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a portion ofthe machine disclosed in" my aforesaid application, showing the subject matter of the present invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, viewedfrom the f The mechanism for rightof Fig. 1, of the magazine, feeding mechanism, and my new means for holding the stock in position in the magazinegw Fig. 3 is a front Velevation on 'enlarged scale of the meansfor holding the stock in position in the magazine; l Fig. 4L is a side elevation on enlarged scale of the holding means; f l

Fig. 5 is a detail View showing the crosssectional shape of the magazine throughout its central and upper portions; and f Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the crosssecional shape of the magazine at the lower en Ther machine illustrated in part in the iigures, which is similar to that disclosed in my aforesaid application, comprises in general a frame 1 carrying uprightarms 2 and' 3 which carry the cutters (not shown) a mag-` azine M mounted on brackets 4 `and 5, feeding mechanismk designated generally by the reference, character' F, kboring tools 6 and 7' including bits `8 and 9, the boring tools being arranged to rotate the bits and to recipro-V at the lowerv ends to support the blocks of l stock S in the magazine and to prevent the stock fromfalling out through the Abottom ofthe magazine. The channel members k12 and 13 are supported on the bracketsfl Vand 5 by meansof bolts 17.

feeding` the blocks from the magazine to the spindles fof the machine comprisesl a pair of jointed arms rotatably supported on theshaft 18,'fea'ch pair of arms comprising an upper portion v19 and lower portion' 2O pivotally connected together. The lower arms 2O are provided with V-shaped carriers 21 adapted to push; the lowermost piece of :stockv from therinagazine and transfer it tothe spindles (notv shown). As shown in Fig. 1V the V-shap'edv` carriers 21 are disposed in: -planes lying just inside the channel members 12 and 13 ofthe magazine so that they donot. engage the iioV magazine as they are movedto the right from the position shown in Fig. 2 to push a pie e of stock fromrthe magazine through the opening 14. Y .l

The arms 20 are' connected together at their free ends by means of a shaft 22, and the shaft 22 is connected to cam mechanism 23 so as to control the movement of thevarmsv 2O in their' course of oscillation to and fro between the magazine'and the spindles. The left-hand arm 19 (Fig. 1) is connected to an eccentric 24 on shaft 25 through the connecting linir 26V so as to be oscillated to and fro about the shaft 18v rEhe cam mechanism 23 and eccentric 24 coperate to oscillate the arms 19-20 and to control the path of movement of the carrier 21. r`ihis mechanism is fully described in the aforesaid application and it will be sufficient `jor the purpose of this application to state that the 1 carrier 21 in moving from the spindles to the position .shown in Fig. 2 passes under the lowermost block in the magazine, thence upwardly to the position shown in Fig. 2, and thence passes forwardly to push the lowermost block out of the magazine through the opening 14 and transfer it toV a pair of spindles. Y Y i The boring mechanism 6 and 7 is arranged to bore openings in the opposite ends of each i block of stock while it is in the lowermost position in the magazine, the boring bits 8 and 9 being arranged to pass througlr openings 27 and 28 in the channel members 12 and 13 of the magazine. When operating at high speed and upon small pieces of stock there is a tendency forthe pieces of stock to be rotatedV or otherwise moved in the magazine by the boring tools. In order to vovercome this tendency I have provided means for holding the blocks in 'position' while being bored or otherwise operated upon by end-forming tools. Y

The preferred embodiment yof my improved means for holding the stock in position while being acted upon by the endforming tools comprises two elongate members 29 slidable up and down'along the opposed faces of the magazine supports immediately in the rear ofthe stock in the magazine. These elongate members are providedV with inclined faces 30 at their lower ends adapted to coperate with inclined members y31 to force themembers 29 againstV the facey of the lowermost piece of stock when the members 29 are moved downwardly as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Uien guides for the members 29 asthe members are reciprocated up and down. The pins ,33

carry oscillatory blocks 34 at their outerV gS 38 in the flanges 36. A coiledcom-V` pression spring 39 is mounted on the rod 37 l between the blocks 34 and the flanges 38 so as to urge the membersA 29 downwardly. Fast t0 the shaft 18 arecollars 40V having dogs 41 pinned or otherwise secured to-their outer faces so as to engage the lower ends of the members 35 to raise the members 29 against the action'of the springs 39.

The foperationY of the mechanism is as fO'llV'Sf- I c Blocks of stock S are fed into magazine M through which they move downwardljby gravity.- When a block reaches the lower end of the magazine and rests on the iianges 15 and 16, the members 29 are forced downwardly by springs 39 into the position shown in F igs. 3 and 4 rigidly to clamp the stock in the magazine while the boring tools operate on the stock. The members 29 are then The neXt piece of stock then drops to the bottom of the magazine and the operation is repeated. The shaft 18 is oscillated to and fro by means ofarms 19, which are keyed to the shaft; although it will be understood that the shaft maybe rockedto and fro in synchronism with the nism andv boring mechanismybyany suitable means. Owing to the rearwardY inclination of the rods 37 the springsl 39 not *only serve to force lthe members :29 downwardly but theyV also serve to hold the members k29 in contact with the inclined members 3l at all times. ,y I i Ifclaim: 1 l

1. In a turning machinehaving areceive'r to which pieces of stock are successively supplied prior to being fed to the spindles, the combination with said `receiver. of means for shaping the end of eachpieceof rstoclr to interiit with a spindle, and kreciprocator means for automatically clamping eac f piece of stock in the receiver while being shaped by said first means, said last means being arranged to reciprocate approximately longitudinally ofthe magazine. a l 2. In a turning machine havinga magazine in the form of an elongate channel with an opening therein through which pieces of stock may be fed to the spindles of the machine, the combination with said magazine of means for shaping the endsV of the pieces ofstoek to interiit with ythe spindles, a

feedingV mecha- Y position before said opening, and aV second member arranged to engage said first member in such manner as to force 1t over against the stock so as to vhold the stockin position while being acted upon by said first means. v Y

3. 'An automatic machine of` the Ycharacter described comprising a magazine, the magazine having an enlongate channel and having an opening in one side so that pieces of stock may be fed longitudinally through the magazine and thence laterally through the side opening, a tool for operating upon each piece of stock when it comes into position before said opening, and means recurrently movable into and out of position before said opening for temporarily clamping the stock in position in the magazine While being acted upon by said tool.

4. An automatic machine of the character described comprising a magazine, the magazine having an elongate channel and having an opening in one side so that pieces of stock may be fed longitudinally through the magazine, and thence laterally through the side opening, a tool for operating upon each piece of stock When it comes into position before said opening, a member recurrently movable into and out of position before said opening, and a second member arranged to engage said first member in such manner as to cam it over against the stock so as to hold the stock in position While being acted i" upon by said tool.

5. lIn aimachine of the character described a magazine, the'magazine having an elongate channel and havingV an opening in'one side so thatpieces of stock may be fedl longitudinally through the magazine and thence laterally through the side opening to the spindles, means for shaping the ends of the stock to interfit with the spindles,said means being operative when the stock comes into position before said opening, a cam member arranged to reciprocate into and out of position in front of said opening, a second camV member arranged to engage the iirst cam member and cam it-over against the stock in the opening so as to hold the stock in position While being acted upon by said shaping meansl` p 6. In a turning machine having a maga-- zine through Which'pieces of stock are fed, means for shaping stock to interfitv With spindles, Y an opening in the. magazine through Which the stock vis ejected after shaping, and means movable in tWo dimensions to first lclose the opening and then clamp the loWestpiece of stock in position for said means to operate thereon.

Signed by me at Gardner, Massachusetts, this eleventh day of October, 1918.- Y l FRANK BANcnorr. 

